San Francisco Naturalist Society

Friday, June 22
Naturalist Society Campout at Rob Hill in the Presidio! Celebrate summer under the stars. Space is limited. Contact Patrick Schlemmer to reserve your spot. $5 per person.

Today's Naturalist Events

Thurs., May 17 Saving San Bruno Mountain: Past, Present and Future with David Schooley. David Schooley has been leading hikes focusing on the nature, history and native culture of San Bruno Mountain for thirty years. He is the founder of San Bruno Mountain Watch, an environmental activist group dedicated to saving the mountain from development and environmental degradation. Randall Museum Theater, 7:30 pm. Free.

Fri., May 18 The Pacific Coast Entomological Society will meet at 8 pm at the California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. John Hafernik, Professor of Biology at San Francisco State University, will present his talk "Are Honey Bees on the Verge of a Zom-Bee Apocalypse?" Free.

Sat., May 19 Edible and Medicinal Weeds of the Bay Area. Non-native invasive plant species are the bane to many gardeners, landscapers, and other such plant enthusiasts...but not to those who know better! In fact, many so called “weeds” are actually quite useful as either wild foods or medicines. Because they thrive on disturbed soils, these plants abound in areas of high population density and can be found in great abundance in and around the cities of the San Francisco Bay Area. Due to their damaging effects on native plant habitats, their harvest and use makes practical sense and should always be encouraged over the use of our own native species. In this way, we help to restore and preserve our native plant communities at the same time as restoring and preserving our own health! Come join us as we learn how to better utilize these vilified urban renegades that are so often needlessly wasted. This class includes a lecture/slideshow, a large selection of live plant samples, edible/medicinal plant tasting, and botanical I.D lessons at a nearby urban garden. Blue Wind Botancal Medicine Clinic & Education Center. Oakland, CA, 10 am-5 pm. For more information, email bluewindbmc@gmail.com. $50.

Sat., May 19 Join Brent Plater of the Wild Equity Institute and Tim Sullivan of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for a leisurely walk into the usually inaccessible Crystal Springs watershed to search for the endangered San Mateo woolly sunflower. 10 am-noon. Park in the small parking lot slightly east of the Crystal Springs Road and Tartan Trail Road intersection in San Mateo, CA. RSVP required: please RSVP at wildequity.org.

Sat., May 19 Join Save the Frogs! to Tailgate & Drum for Endangered Species, & Occupy Sharp Park(ing lot)! Golf purists have announced they intend to celebrate the endangered species-killing, money-losing Sharp Park Golf Course with a $150 golf tournament. That's right: they intend to celebrate a golf course that robs resources from San Francisco's neighborhood parks and has brought two endangered species to the brink of localized extinction. If that's the most absurd celebration you've ever heard of, you aren't alone: and that's why we want you to join Save the Frogs! on May 19 at 4:30 p.m. at Sharp Park Golf Course's parking lot. Save the Frogs! will be leading a tailgate and drumming event during this high-priced golf tournament to make sure everyone there knows that killing endangered species to play a game is the wrong way to spend our limited recreation dollars. This will be a fun, free event. There will be food and drink, drums to play, and outdoor education activities for you and your family to enjoy at the nearby Mori Point National Park: which will one day expand to include Sharp Park, creating a more accessible and sustainable public park that everyone can enjoy! Bring some food and drink to share if you can. And if you're able to get there early, we're looking for 5-10 people to join Save the Frogs! to prepare for the event. Contact us today if you can be there on the early side.
RSVP for the tailgate at Save the Frogs! website.

Sat., May 19 Heron Watch from 10 am to 1 pm. Come and see Great Blue Herons and their chicks! Follow the sign at Stow Lake boathouse to the program site. Observation using spotting scopes: free. Interns and volunteers will be there to answer questions and explain heron behavior. Donations welcome. Adult walk: 10:30 to noon. Adults: $10. All walks will be led by volunteers or interns. Family walk: 10:30 am. Each family: $10. Children will be given a Stow Lake field journal to color at home. For more information, call (415) 387-9160.

Sat., May 19 Botanical Art from the Estate of Barbara and Roland Pitschel. May through August, 2012. Barbara Pitschel was Head Librarian of the Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture. During her tenure, 1981-2010, the Library grew to become the most comprehensive horticultural library in northern California. She was a long-standing member of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL), receiving the Charles Robert Long Award of Merit in 2006 for her outstanding dedication to CBHL and her many contributions to the field of horticultural literature and information service and research. Barbara and her husband Roland were also passionate about preserving our native flora and were founding and lifetime members of the Yerba Buena Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Barbara and Roland were leaders in the restoration work and planning that became the Bernal Hilltop Native Grassland Restoration Project, and were honored by the Trust for Public Land for their thirty years of volunteer park stewardship. The largest part of Barbara's time, however, was spent overseeing the operation and growth of the Library. One of the many areas of the library program that she nurtured and guided was the changing displays of botanical art.
Barbara and Roland's art collection of over 100 pieces reflects the focus and dedication that was evident in their lives. The works were purchased mostly from artists they knew or who exhibited at the library and though some may be quite rare and valuable now, they were collected solely for their enjoyment, as encouragement for the art, and nearly always for their depiction of our native flora. The collection includes works by well-known botanical artists and represents many different styles. A special reception hosted by the Helen Crocker Russell Library will be held Saturday, May 19, 3-6 pm.

Sat., May 19 Microphone Mysteries Revealed At the Nature Sounds Society's Tech Talk. Learn the basics of recording technology in preparation for our annual field recording workshop. This class also provides an opportunity to try out different types of microphones and recorders for the sounds you want to capture. Dan Dugan will teach and the NSS will host the event at Dan's laboratory. 290 Napoleon St., Studio E, San Francisco, CA 94124, 9:30 am-3:30 pm. Contact Dan Dugan at (415) 821-9776 or events@naturesounds.org for further information. Advance registration is requested but not required—you can just show up! $30.

May 19-20 10th Triennial U.S. Geological Survey Open House--only happens once every 3 years. For more information, go to USGS Open House 2012.